Across the pond, a psychologist is claiming that the busy lives of two-career families is putting too much strain on teenage girls, leaving them vulnerable to mental illness. He suggests that parents put more time in with their daughters and limit their access to social media and technology.
I agree with him, but I do wonder why he left out boys. They need their parents as much as their sisters do, don’t they?
Boys are more vulnerable to neuropsychiatric disorders that appear developmentally (girls more vulnerable to disorders that appear later). These include autism, early onset schizophrenia, ADHD, and conduct disorders. These have been increasing in recent decades (interestingly, as more babies have been put into daycare settings, nearly all of which provide inadequate care for babies).
Wow, I’m surprised to see this from Psychology Today. Full article here.
In light of my recent (see archives for March and April 2014) series on introverts, I’d like to add this article, which speculates that introverted children are being misdiagnosed as having special needs or even being mentally ill, when in reality there’s nothing wrong with them. Worse, parents are most often the ones pushing for medication for their children who don’t fit the prescribed mold.
How awful for these children! As one commenter put it:
I’m shy and bookish I’m not mentally ill I’m introvert living in a extroverts world.